Ten words that change how your trip goes
You do not need to learn Thai. You do need about ten words, because the difference in how you are treated between a visitor with none and a visitor with a few is out of all proportion to the effort.
Thai puts a politeness particle at the end of a sentence, and it depends on your gender, not the listener’s:
Stick it on the end of everything. It turns a blunt word into a courteous sentence and it is the highest-value thing on this page.
On mai phet. "Not spicy" is calibrated to a Thai palate. If you genuinely cannot take heat, say mai phet loey — "not spicy at all" — and still treat the first mouthful with respect.
Thai has five, and the same syllable at different pitches means completely different things — which is why a word you are sure you said correctly draws a blank. Do not let it stop you. Nobody expects a visitor to get tones right and context carries most of it. Effort counts far more than accuracy.
We live here — ask us anything about Hua Hin and you will get the real answer.
